Attack on 'insular' US paper

By Marcus Warren in New York

12:00AM GMT 21 Jan 2003

The outgoing head of the leading newspaper for Americans abroad, the International Herald Tribune, yesterday accused the number one US domestic daily, the New York Times, of undermining the country's standing around the world.

Peter Goldmark, chairman of the Paris-based newspaper, fired his parting shot at the Times in a defiant statement to staff explaining his decision to step down. The Times is now the Tribune's sole owner after years of joint ownership with the Washington Post ended late last year. His criticism was all the more wounding as the Times prides itself on its foreign coverage and cosmopolitan views.

Mr Goldmark attacked the Times for encouraging an insular, "America-first" approach to the newspaper business which, he argued, would harm the nation's interests abroad.

He said: "I am the last publisher of the International Herald Tribune as an independent newspaper with its own outlook on the world. At a time when the world is growing to mistrust America, it needs thoughtful voices and independent perspectives."